1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the food processing art and more particularly to an electrically powered machine for preparing various types of cooked foods such as fufu, a staple West African food.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many West African cultures, the preparation of food products has traditionally been accomplished by various cooking processes over open fires. In such processes for the preparation of fufu, a staple of West African cooked food, the major ingredients, such as cassava, plantains, yams, cocoyams and the like are first boiled. The boiled product is then mashed and pounded manually into a paste. A mortar type container holds the product and a wooden or similar pestle is used to accomplish the mashing. The ingredients being pounded are turned by hand during the pounding and mashing process in an attempt to ensure the proper and desired mashing of all lumps of the product.
In comparatively recent times a powdered form of the product, often called fufu powder, has been introduced in an attempt to provide a more rapid and uniform finished product. Such fufu powder is cooked over an open fire to provide the finished fufu food.
With the emigration of many West Africans to the industrialized countries of the world, the opportunity to manually pound fufu has decreased. Further, the availability of electricity to power food processing machines has made it desirable to prepare fufu and other traditional West African foods using the labor saving electrically powered devices. The preparation of the traditional foods using the electrically powered devices also can provide a more consistent finished food product. However, the present invention may also be practiced by manually operating the food processor for those persons desiring to have a "feel" for the food product being processed or during use in those locations where electricity is not available as in wilderness camping and the like.
Thus, there has been a need for electrically powered or manually operated food processing machines that will enable the preparation of the traditional West African, and other, food products.